England have been propelled into a commanding position in Galle by two of their more unlikely heroes. There was Ben Foakes on the first day, who was not originally selected for the tour, and Keaton Jennings on the third, whom many thought should not have been selected. In fact there was no great enthusiasm for his inclusion in this column. Now that he has hit his second Test century an acknowledgment that they got it right might be appropriate. Consider it done (though a cagier correspondent would have waited a few more paragraphs).

At the very least Jennings must now be considered an Asian specialist, adept against spin in his idiosyncratic way. None of the great batsmen reverse sweep as frequently as him, for example. But the runs are in the book and if he can come to terms with English conditions, where the seamers tend to prevail, a long Test career beckons after all. In his 18 innings at home Jennings’ average is 17; in Asia after six innings that rockets to 71.